About Metering Systems And Exposure - Nikon N55 Instruction Manual

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About Metering Systems and Exposure
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Metering systems and exposure are important factors for taking pictures.
Knowing the characteristics of each factor helps you widen your
photographic expression .
• Metering Systems
As the proper combination of shutter speed and aperture for correct exposure
is determined according to subject brightness and film sensitivity, measuring
subject brightness is very important.
In general, brightness inside the viewfinder is not uniform. The N55 provides
two metering systems: Matrix Metering (page 28) and Center Partial
Metering
(page 60). With
Matrix Metering,
data on scene brightness is
detected by the five-segment Matrix sensor. Using G- or O-type Nikkor lenses,
the N55 camera performs 3D
Matrix Metering
by adding distance information
to determine correct exposure. With Center Partial Metering, brightness is
detected at the central areas including three focus areas in the viewfinder. With
the N55, Matrix Metering is automatically selected when the exposure mode
is set to other than Manual and Center Partial Metering is selected with
Manual exposure mode .
• Exposure
Light from the subject passes through the lens and exposes the film. Light
reaching the film is controlled by the shutter speed and aperture. The proper
combination of shutter speed and aperture for subject brightness and film
sensitivity results in the correct exposure.
The N55's AUTO mode (page 28), Auto-Multi Program (page 54) and Vari-
Program (page 36) automatically control shutter speed and aperture. Vari-
Program gives you the option to choose from Portrait, Landscape, Close-Up,
Sports Continuous or Night Portrait mode-designed for specific picture-
taking situations and photographic images. In Shutter-Priority Auto exposure
mode (page 56), you can manually set shutter speed and the camera
automatically sets the proper aperture. In Aperture-Priority Auto exposure
mode (page 58), you can manually set aperture and the camera automatically
sets the proper shutter speed. In Manual exposure mode (page 60), you
manually set both shutter speed and aperture.